Free bus, jeepney rides to resume in November—LTFRB

Heads up, commuters!

The Land Transportation Franchising Regulatory Board (LTFRB) announced on Monday, Oct. 9 that it will resume its Libreng Sakay program in some parts of Metro Manila starting in November. 

“Itong buwan na ito, ilalabas ho namin ang pera. Ibabalik po natin ang Libreng Sakay. Uunahin po natin ang Metro Manila, kasama po ang mga jeepneys,” said LTFRB chairperson Teofilo Guadiz III.

Unlike in the previous run, which was limited to the EDSA Bus Carousel, this year’s return will extend to jeepneys in different parts of Metro Manila.  

"Hindi po tulad noon na nali-limit lang sa carousel, ngayon po pati jeepneys, kasama po sa libreng sakay," he said.

Guadiz added that the P1.3 billion budget has been approved, and they are looking to resume the service from Nov. 1 to December as an early Christmas gift from the agency.

"Iyong P1.3 billion, tapos na po iyong joint memorandum circular. Ibaba na po ang pera. Alam mo hinahabol namin ito ng November-December para maagang pamaskong handog ng LTFRB," he said. 

Guadiz said they will prioritize modern jeepneys and cooperatives under the service contracting scheme. He added that they will also pay PUV operators who were not paid during the COVID-19 lockdown. 

The Libreng Sakay program was launched in 2020 amid the height of the pandemic. It temporarily ended its services in January this year.